Pakistan denies entry to peace bus from India

In the backdrop of seizure of 114 packets of brown sugar from a truck
coming from PoK side on January 17 at the Salamabad trade facilitation
centre in Baramulla district of Kashmir, Pakistan authorities on Monday
denied entry to the weekly Poonch-Rawlakote peace bus service from India along the Line of Control at Chakkan-da-Bagh.

advertisement

Ashwani Kumar

Jammu

January 28, 2014

UPDATED: January 28, 2014 02:22 IST

In the backdrop of seizure of 114 packets of brown sugar from a truck coming from PoK side on January 17 at the Salamabad trade facilitation centre in Baramulla district of Kashmir, Pakistan authorities on Monday denied entry to the weekly Poonch-Rawlakote peace bus service from India along the Line of Control at Chakkan-da-Bagh. Every Monday citizens of PoK and this part crosses Chakka-Da-Bagh-Poonch LoC and also from Salamabad-Uri LoC route and all civilians are coming and going on permit system.

"Authorities in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir this afternoon refused to allow the bus from India to enter their side, thereby continuing the deadlock over the cross-LoC trade and the peace bus service in Jammu and Kashmir," official sources here said.

The truck driver and a local trader who was to receive the narcotics were arrested.

"There was no response from PoK side when the bus reached near the gate at Chakkan-da-Bagh," said an official.

He said that 17 passengers including 14 PoK returnees and three fresh Indian citizens boarded the bus but they were refused entry by the PoK authorities.

He added that the passengers have been asked to remain in touch with the officials on this side regarding the matter.

The Pakistani authorities however, have already stopped the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad peace bus service, linking the bus operation to the resolution of the deadlock over trade across the Line of Control (LoC).